ACC Baseball News: Duke has a new baseball coach

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While the College World Series was crowning a new champion, the Duke Blue Devils were hiring a new head coach to run their program. Corey Muscara, who for the past 15 years has made his mark in the college game as a pitching coach, was named the 26th head coach of the Blue Devils last week. He was an assistant coach at Wake Forest for the past four years and helped that program average 43 wins per season, as well as a trip to Omaha. In 2023, he was named D1 Assistant Coach of the Year. A season in which Wake Forest won 54 games. The pitching staff he was entrusted with led the nation in ERA at 2.83, hits allowed per nine innings 6.59, strikeouts to walk ratio 4.26, and strikeouts per nine at 12.1.

In 2024, the staff was second in the nation in strikeouts per nine at 11.9. This past spring, the pitching staff led the league and was fifth in the nation with seven shutouts, and eighth in the country with 11.1 strikeouts per nine. His pitching resume speaks for itself. He also had success at both Maryland and St. John’s. With the Red Storm from 2013-17, nine pitchers were selected in the MLB Draft. They were eighth in ERA in 2017 and made the NCAA Tournament twice.

His coaching career began in New England at Southern New Hampshire, where he had two stints. In the 2012 season, the Penmen made the NCAA Division II College World Series with a program-best 43-win season. The pitching staff led Division II in ERA at 2.41 and in strikeouts per nine at 9.3. He is a graduate of Franklin Pierce, where he played two seasons. He was the team captain in 2009, won back-to-back conference titles, and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2008. His college playing career began at Siena in 2005 and 2007.

Duke was 41-21 and 17-13 in the ACC. They would reach the Super Regionals, where they would lose to Murray State in three games. The 40-win season was the program’s second in a row. The Blue Devils have not been to the College World Series in 64 years.